Creating a Floral Collar

This cast-iron urn with a weather-worn painted finish has just the right scale, palette, and presence for a riot of velvet-red kangaroo paws. A collar of chrysanthemums in the same autumnal tone provides a tidy transition between the container and the native Australian blooms, which can be ordered year-round from a florist.

To create a border effect for an arrangement, you’ll need floral foam, a knife, and a shallow vase that fits your urn. If the urn is very deep, you may also need a small pot to place beneath the vase.

Directions1. Cut foam to fill vase.

2. Remove and soak in a bucket of water until foam is saturated; fit back in vase. Place vase in urn.

3. Cut stems short on flowers that will serve as collar, and insert them inside perimeter of vase (if stems aren’t rigid enough, make holes with a pencil tip). Trim stems on long center flowers, and fill in arrangement.

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